Department for Transport

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what rights exist for individuals and organisations to deal with drones which appear over their property.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Air Navigation Order 2016 sets out several rules which drone users must abide by. In particular, users must not fly drones with cameras within 50m of any vehicle, structure or person which is not under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft, unless they have permission from the Civil Aviation Authority to do so.Non-aviation specific legal rules are also relevant. For example, failure to fly a drone at a height over the property of another person which is ‘reasonable’ in all circumstances could amount to trespass if the flight interferes with another person’s ordinary use and enjoyment of land and the structures upon it. In the case of trespass, a civil claim may be brought against the drone user seeking compensation for any damage suffered as a result of the trespass. Alternatively, an injunction may be sought to prevent trespass in the future. The Government is currently consulting on the future safe use of drones in the UK, including proposals such as registration and making drones electronically identifiable and strengthening penalties for breaking the law. The consultation can be found on gov.uk and closes on 15 March 2017.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what rights exist for individuals and organisations, for example schools or other educational institutions, that are subject to being photographed by, or regularly overflown by, drones.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Air Navigation Order 2016 sets out several rules which drone users must abide by. In particular, users must not fly drones with cameras within 50m of any vehicle, structure or person which is not under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft. They must also not fly drones over or within 150m of any congested area or large crowds of people. These activities can only be undertaken if the Civil Aviation Authority have issued specific permission to do so, having assessed a safety case for the operation. A person convicted of doing either of these activities without permission could be punished by a fine not exceeding £2,500. Trespass and other non-aviation specific laws may also apply in these circumstances. The Government is currently consulting on the future safe use of drones in the UK, including proposals such as registration and making drones electronically identifiable and strengthening penalties for breaking the law. The consultation can be found on gov.uk and closes on 15 March 2017.

Home Office

Asylum: LGBT People

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 9 January (HL4355), which of the eight principles have still not been met; and what is preventing those principles being met, in relation to the release of figures for those claiming asylum on the basis of sexual orientation.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Code of Practice for Official Statistics has established common standards to ensure a coherent and trustworthy service to the user of statistics. Home Office officials are continuing to review and assess information on the number of people claiming asylum where sexual orientation may form the basis of the claim, in order to ensure that any statistics produced meet the principles on both assured methodology and quality (ensuring statistical methods are consistent with scientific principles) and governing user needs.

Undocumented Migrants: Private Rented Housing

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 9 January (HL3406), where prospective tenants who are denied access to the private rented sector under the right to rent scheme are housed pending their deportation or voluntary departure.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Individuals who are complying with the Home Office as part of the voluntary returns process may be granted permission to rent ahead of their departure. People who are denied access to the private rented sector are expected to return home. Advice and support is available to help people with no right to be here return to their home countries. It is open to people to make temporary living arrangements which are not covered by the Right to Rent scheme ahead of their return home, in hotel accommodation.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Productivity

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what further measures are planned between now and 2020 to increase UK productivity measured as gross domestic product per hour.

Lord Prior of Brampton: In addition to fully implementing the Government’s Productivity Plan (published in 2015), my Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a new National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF) as part of the Autumn Statement. This will be targeted at 4 areas that are critical for improving productivity: housing, transport, digital communications, and research and development (R&D). Productivity will also be a key underlying theme of the Government’s forthcoming Industrial Strategy.

Productivity

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what new resources are to be made available to encourage improved productivity in the UK.

Lord Prior of Brampton: As part of the Autumn Statement, my Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a new National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF). The NPIF will provide for £23 billion of spending between 2017/18 and 2021/22, and build on existing plans over this Parliament. In addition, improving productivity will be a key underlying theme of the Government’s forthcoming Industrial Strategy.

Productivity

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken across government departments and including the devolved administrations to co-ordinate the promotion of increased productivity within the UK.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Productivity Plan published in 2015 set out a whole of government approach to raising UK productivity, progress on which is regularly reported by government departments. This includes working in partnership with the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive in areas of policy where powers are partly or wholly devolved. At the Ministerial level a number of Cabinet Committees regularly consider issues relating to the main policies in the Productivity Plan, including the Economic Affairs sub-Committee. This will also be a key area of focus for the overarching Economy and Industrial Strategy Committee.

Productivity

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any published targets for UK productivity over the next five years; and if so, what they are.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government has not explicitly targeted a level of productivity for the UK. However, as part of the follow-up work to the Productivity Plan it has tracked progress made in implementing each of the Productivity Plan’s commitments, along with success metrics which can be used to measure progress against each of the Plan’s headline objectives. Details of these can be found in the Government’s response to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee Inquiry into the Productivity Plan: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmbeis/931/93102.htm



Government’s response to the Business, Energy and 
(PDF Document, 807.26 KB)

Productivity

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the reportedly low levels of productivity in the UK over the last eight years.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government set out its assessment of the likely causes of the UK’s low levels of productivity in the 2015 Productivity Plan. This decomposes the problem into two components, a long standing productivity gap and a more recent productivity puzzle. Full details of this analysis can be found in the annexe to the Productivity Plan, here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/443898/Productivity_Plan_web.pdf



Fixing the foundations
(PDF Document, 919.47 KB)

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Sudan: Trade Promotion

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following Sir Simon McDonald's visit to Sudan on 10 January, whether it is now their policy to promote trade with Sudan.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: As part of our phased increase in direct engagement with the government of Sudan, the UK will consider opportunities to promote trade with Sudan, as trade can help to open up closed off political and economic systems. We are working with the World Bank, through the Sudan Multi-Partner Fund, to remove some of the barriers to private sector development through greater financial inclusion. Furthermore, we welcome the recent decisions made by the US Government on Sudan related sanctions, which will see a lifting of the trade embargo and the unfreezing of government of Sudan assets in the US, and urge the government of Sudan to make further progress on agreeing a permanent cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access, which would enable this decision to become permanent.We will continue to provide support to UK companies to help understand the opportunities and challenges of operating in Sudan. However, we have been clear with the government of Sudan that the current conflicts, human rights abuses, and business environment remain obstacles to a sizeable increase in interest from British companies, and continue to urge them to make progress on these issues.

Sudan: Foreign Relations

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following Sir Simon McDonald's visit to Sudan on 10 January, what benchmarks they are using to measure the effectiveness of dialogue between the UK and Sudan.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK-Sudan Strategic Dialogue (which meets every six months) provides a platform for us to explore possibilities for cooperation on a wide range of UK interests where our aims align, as well as an avenue to raise concerns directly with the government of Sudan. As part of this process, we assess progress on issues of mutual interest and identify what further action needs to be taken.

Sudan: Humanitarian Aid

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, during Sir Simon McDonald's visit to Sudan on 10 January, he raised with the government of Sudan its refusal to grant humanitarian access to the Two Areas; and if so, what were the outcomes of those discussions.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Permanent Under-Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Sir Simon McDonald, and the Permanent Secretary of the Department for International Development, Sir Mark Lowcock, met with a number of senior government and opposition figures in Khartoum. They urged both sides to capitalise on recent momentum and fully engage in the African Union-led peace process, including by reaching lasting agreements on a full cessation of hostilities and unrestricted humanitarian access. The UK will continue to press both the Sudan Government and the opposition to make progress on these issues.

Bahrain: Capital Punishment

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the recent execution in Bahrain of three men convicted of murder; whether they will appeal for clemency in the cases of Mohammed Ramadan and Hussain Mosa; and if not, why not.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) released a statement on 15 January where he outlined the UK's firm opposition to oppose the death penalty. It is our longstanding position to the death penalty in all countries and circumstances. The Bahraini authorities are fully aware of our position and the Foreign Secretary has raised the issue with the Bahraini Government. We continue to follow the cases of Mohammed Ramadan and Hussain Moosa closely. Our understanding is that the cases are still undergoing due process.

Iraq: Arms Trade

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the end-users of British arms supplied to Iraq, including whether any supplies have gone to the People's Mobilization Units to be used in violations of humanitarian law.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The only Iraqi forces to whom the UK has gifted weapons and ammunition are the Kurdish Peshmerga. We have not gifted weapons to any other armed forces, including the People's Mobilisation Units. The UK continues to support Iraqi, including Kurdish, security forces in their fight against Daesh. Arms and ammunition gifted to the Kurdish Regional Government were provided with the full support of the government of Iraq.The UK carefully assesses all gifts of equipment against the EU Consolidated Criteria on a case by case basis. This requires us to consider the risk of equipment being used for internal repression, whether it could provoke or prolong internal or regional conflict, and whether equipment could end up in the hands of undesirable users. We will not permit an export if we judge that the risks exceed the threshold set out in the criteria. We are content with the controls the Kurdish Regional Government has in place for distribution and use of UK-supplied weaponry.

Turkey: Politics and Government

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to summon the Turkish Ambassador to make representations concerning the three state of emergency decrees issued on 6 January; and what representations they have made, or intend to make, concerning the dismissal of public employees and academics and the closure of civil organisations in Turkey.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK Government has condemned the attempted coup on 15 July 2016 and ongoing terrorist atrocities in Turkey and acknowledges the legitimate right of the Turkish Government to take lawful and proportionate action against the perpetrators. The Government does not intend to summon the Turkish Ambassador to make representations concerning the three state of emergency decrees published on 6 January. The Government has engaged with the government of Turkey to make clear our position that its response to the coup and terrorist acts should be proportionate and that the rule of law and human rights, including freedom of expression, must be respected.

Turkey: Kurds

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to call upon the government of Turkey to hold an independent inquiry into the deaths of Seve Demir, Pakize Nayir and Fatma Uyar in Silopi on 5 January.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The ongoing violence in the predominantly Kurdish areas of south-east Turkey is extremely concerning. The UK Government wants to see an end to Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) violence and a resumption of the peace process. It is for the government of Turkey to ensure the rule of law is upheld and show respect for human rights, and to consider if an independent inquiry is appropriate.

Developing Countries: Females

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to ensure that projects and programmes funded from the cross-government Prosperity Fund will create jobs for women in developing countries; and if so, how, and to what extent.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: All cross-government Prosperity Fund Official Development Assistance spending will comply with the International Development Act and Gender Equality Act. The UK's aid strategy prioritises the needs of women.The Gender Equality Act requires implementing Departments to be confident that any opportunities to engage and enhance the status of women and promote gender equality have been identified and considered.Major programmes that will be supported through the Prosperity Fund are still being developed and the precise details for promoting jobs and gender equality will depend on each context.

Gambia: Elections

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the validity of the results of the 2016 elections in The Gambia.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Gambian Presidential elections of 1 December were an orderly expression of democratic choice and have been recognised by the international community as free and fair. President-elect Barrow must therefore be allowed to assume authority, without fear of violence or disruption. We look forward to working with the President-elect's new government.

ACP Countries: Foreign Relations

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Prime Minister’s undertakings following the EU referendum result, what policies they will pursue to sustain relationships with the African, Caribbean and Pacific Commonwealth nations that have treaty associations with the EU.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK will continue to maintain strong trading relationships with African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries once we leave the European Union. As part of our ongoing work we are examining EU-ACP third country agreements, including on trade and preferences. In March, the UK will co-host with Malta the inaugural Commonwealth Trade Ministers’ Meeting in London at which a number of ACP countries will be represented.

Central America: EU External Relations

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the EU–Central America Association Agreement became eligible for the process of ratification by the UK Parliament.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: EU Member States have been eligible to ratify the EU-Central America Association Agreement since it was signed by the European Union on 29 June 2012.

Central America: EU External Relations

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when Parliament will be asked to ratify the EU–Central America Association Agreement.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We support the objectives of the EU-Central America Association Agreement and are considering when to put it to Parliament.

Syria: War Crimes

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the request by the human rights groups including the Syrian Network for Human Rights, the Center for Violations Documentation in Syria, the White Helmets and the Independent Doctors Association to the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic for an impartial investigation into alleged Russian and Iranian war crimes in Aleppo.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK is a strong supporter of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry and its work to investigate human rights violations and abuses in Syria. On 21 October 2016, the UK initiated a Special Session on Aleppo at the UN Human Rights Council. At this session the Council adopted a Resolution establishing a special inquiry by the UN Commission of Inquiry into the situation in Aleppo to identify those responsible for international human rights violations and abuses. The UN Commission of Inquiry will present its findings at the next UN Human Rights Council session scheduled for March.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they last raised the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with the Iranian authorities, and what progress has been made in securing her release and in allowing her daughter, a British citizen, to return to the UK.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Ministers and officials have repeatedly made representations on all consular cases involving British nationals in Iran, including Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's, at all levels with the Iranian Government. Most recently The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood) discussed the cases with the Iranian authorities on his visit to Iran on 18 January. Her Majesty's Ambassador to Iran will also continue to raise these cases with the Iranian Government at every available opportunity in Tehran.We remain ready to help bring Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's daughter back to the UK if requested.

Falkland Islands: Sovereignty

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the release of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) documents concerning US proposals to offer grants to British citizens on the Falkland Islands to relocate to the UK, what discussions they plan to have with the government of the US concerning British sovereignty in the Falkland Islands.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: ​We have no doubt about our sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and surrounding maritime areas, nor about the principle and the right of the Falkland Islanders to self-determination as enshrined in the UN Charter and in Article 1 of the two UN Covenants on human rights. It is up to the Falkland Islanders to decide their own future. We will continue to make that clear to the US.

Horn of Africa: EU Immigration

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will promote the inclusion of safe and legal routes of passage for migrants from the Horn of Africa in the Khartoum Process.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: ​The Joint Action Plan agreed by the EU and African states at the Valletta Summit in November 2015, and for which the Khartoum Process is a key implementation vehicle, includes a range of actions on legal migration and mobility. These cover migration not only to Europe, but also to and between African countries.

Horn of Africa: EU Immigration

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the statement by Oxfam that "the EU needs to reconsider very carefully exactly how much it is willing to sacrifice on the altar of migration"; and whether they will reconsider their position on the Khartoum Process.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: ​Engaging with the participant governments of the Khartoum Process on migration does not mean that we will focus less on the conflicts or human rights situation in the region. The Khartoum Process provides an additional channel to raise human rights issues, address the root causes of unmanaged migration flows, and promote stronger protection for refugees.

Cabinet Office

Public Sector: Harassment

Lord Porter of Spalding: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Young of Cookham on 19 January 2017 (HL4518) concerning threatening behaviour against those holding public office, what is the timeframe for the update and what do they consider to be an appropriate way of updating the House.

Lord Young of Cookham: We will continue to consider the matter and will update the House about future work undertaken. The form of the update and timescale would depend on the nature of such work.

Charities: Grants

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Young of Cookham on 18 January (HL4549), whether, and if so which, charities receive donations from the Government or the NHS which exceed 25 per cent of their total income.

Lord Young of Cookham: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Sustainable Development

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will include a consultation with civil society when compiling the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals voluntary national review.

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will invite civil society to engage in the national High Level Political Forum review in 2017.

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will involve parliamentarians in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals voluntary national review.

Lord Bates: The Goverment will soon publish a cross-goverment report of the UK's approach to delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) both at home and around the world. The Secretary of State will publish, in due course, details of DFID's participation in the voluntary national review 2017, which will set out the nature of the involvement of a number of contributors including Patliamentarians and Civil Society.

Developing Countries: Sustainable Development

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will set up a national commission on Sustainable Development such as in Finland.

Lord Bates: The Government does not have plans to set up a national commission on sustainable development. The Sustainable Development Goals have been embedded across Government’s work and will be monitored using departments’ Single Departmental Plans.

St Helena: Airports

Lord Stevens of Ludgate: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which Government Minister approved the new St Helena Airport and what corrective measures they now intend to implement.

Lord Bates: The final business case for the St Helena Airport was approved by Andrew Mitchell in 2011, based on feasibility and design work agreed by previous Ministers prior to 2010.Since taking up her position at the department, the Secretary of State has ensured that concrete actions are taken so that the airport is operational. A range of technical work to assess wind conditions has been undertaken and a series of successful test flights have been completed. A tender for air services was launched in December 2016. The Secretary of State has also established an independent quality assurance panel; appointed to bring fresh eyes to the challenges and to cross check the technical judgements being made.

Iraq: Overseas Aid

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance they are giving to clear the villages of the Nineveh plains of landmines and to rebuild the homes of communities driven from their villages by ISIS.

Lord Bates: As a member of the global coalition against Daesh, the UK has provided over £15 million to support UN stabilisation programmes. This is helping to secure liberated areas and support the renovation of water facilities, power networks, clinics and schools. UK funding is helping the Governor of Ninevah’s office to assess needs and priorities in Mosul, such as repairs to infrastructure. The UK supports the UN Mine Action Service’s counter Improvised Explosive Device programme, which is working to clear liberated areas of Daesh explosives.Since 2015 over 862,000 people have returned to their homes in Iraq, supported by UN stabilisation programmes with funding from the UK and other international partners.

Refugees: Weather

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of severe weather, including sub-zero temperatures, on refugees in the Middle East and southern Europe, and how they are assisting the efforts of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to help those most adversely affected.

Lord Bates: This winter has been particularly severe in parts of the Middle East and southern Europe. Many of the refugees affected live in poor quality and unprotected shelters, putting them at greater risk during the winter months. In addition to the direct effects of harsh weather conditions, the extra cost of weather-proof shelters, fuel for heating, blankets and warm clothes, can reduce their ability to afford other essentials such as food, medical care and education.UK support to refugees in the Middle East and southern Europe is channelled through a range of partners, including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). All our partners focus on meeting priority needs at any given time, including the effects of winter. As part of our support to UNHCR, we fund cash assistance programmes in Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq which help refugees and displaced people to meet their needs, such as buying warm clothes, blankets or heaters, should that be their priority.

Burma: Rohingya

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 6 December 2016 (HL3575), what are the results of their monitoring of the government of Burma’s commitment to restoring humanitarian access to the Rohingya people; and what action will be taken to support the delivery of such access if the government of Burma fails to honour its commitment.

Lord Bates: Humanitarian access to northern townships of Rakhine State has partially improved but remains a serious concern. Access to many areas did improve in December and January and some humanitarian assistance was able to resume. However, the most affected areas remain without substantive humanitarian access and restrictions continue to be imposed in all areas. The ability of affected people to travel in order to access assistance also remains limited. We continue to monitor this closely and continue to raise the issue of humanitarian access with authorities at local, state and national level.

Developing Countries: Females

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for International Development (DfID) currently tracks how many jobs for women in developing countries (1) have been, and (2) they estimate will be, created through DfID-funded projects and programmes; whether they plan to set any targets in this regard; and if not, why not.

Lord Bates: DFID historically has tracked and continues to track the impact of its programmes on women’s employment using indicators within each programme’s own monitoring and measurement system. For example a skills development programme in Pakistan is planning to train between 165,000-300,000 women to enhance their income/employment prospects.The department does not plan to set any targets related to job creation for the whole organisation because the data and collection methods are not consistent enough between countries to be able to verify and report in the aggregate. DFID is working with international institutions to improve jobs data quality for the long term.

Developing Countries: Females

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many jobs for women in developing countries (1) have been, and (2) they estimate will be, created by the Commonwealth Development Corporation; whether they intend to set any targets in this regard; and if not, why not.

Lord Bates: CDC targets jobs through the use of a development impact grid, to identify key employment sectors and countries; and through an assessment of the development case for each individual investment. This methodology does not depend solely on a job target but instead seeks to find investments which optimise the balance between four factors - the employment potential, the low income of the country, the difficulty of doing business, and the lack of available capital. This is to ensure that our investments are directed not only towards employment, but also to the countries most in need of assistance.CDC’s Investment Policy does however direct CDC to focus on those sectors that create the most jobs in the poorest developing countries and it does measure and publish in its annual report the number of jobs created, for women and for men, in Africa and South Asia each year.CDC investee companies employed 135,000 women in 2015. CDC investments help overcome other barriers faced by women in business. CDC investments in the power sector support the growth of firms, big and small, that create employment opportunities for women. CDC investments in microfinance institutions provide millions of women in Africa and South Asia with access to affordable financial services. Of the estimated 1.01 million direct and indirect jobs created by CDC investments in 2015, CDC estimates that 320,000 were jobs for women.CDC is committed to playing its role in achieving Global Goal 5 to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls. CDC will continue to progress gender objectives on its forthcoming strategy.

Gambia: Overseas Aid

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what development projects they support in The Gambia, and what is the current status of those projects while political difficulties continue following the 2016 elections in that country.

Lord Bates: DFID does not have a bilateral country programme in The Gambia. The UK continues to support The Gambia through centrally managed programmes such as Voluntary Service Overseas and investing in the use of Green Mini-Grids. DFID’s core contributions to multilateral institutions also support The Gambia, including those for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the EU, the World Bank and the Africa Development Bank. We continue to work with partners across government and international agencies to monitor the situation on the ground. We assess, following the 2016 elections and in light of the recent departure of the former President, that there has been minimal impact to our development programme.

Burma: Rohingya

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the open letter from a number of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in December 2016 calling for the UN to encourage the government of Burma to lift all restrictions on humanitarian aid for the Rohingya people; and whether they will take action to support that end.

Lord Bates: We noted the open letter from a number of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in December 2016, and share the concern over access for humanitarian assistance. DFID and Foreign Office officials have been in close contact with UN agencies monitoring humanitarian access.The UK Government has repeatedly urged the Government of Burma to allow full unrestricted humanitarian access. The Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs Boris Johnson MP, the Minister of State Rory Stewart MP, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Alok Sharma MP and the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Baroness Anelay have all raised the issue personally with Burmese ministers in recent meetings in Burma or London. DFID and Foreign Office officials have visited Northern Rakhine together with international counterparts and lobbied Burmese Ministers on this issue. The UK also discussed the issue at the UN Security Council on 17 November, where we raised our concerns about the lack of humanitarian access. The Government of Burma has committed to restoring humanitarian access and we are pressing for, and stand ready to support, the delivery of this commitment.

Developing Countries: Nutrition

Baroness Manzoor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to integrate nutrition into UK-funded reproductive, maternal, child and adolescent health programmes in the developing world.

Lord Bates: DFID’s publication ‘Choices for women: planned pregnancies, safe births and healthy newborns’, provides guidance for our investments in maternal and newborn health, including nutrition for adolescents, pregnant women and babies. DFID Kenya, for example, has enabled a high-impact set of nutrition interventions to be incorporated into the health system and has strengthened Government capacity to deliver these interventions alongside other essential services. The latest review of our bilateral programmes that support maternal, newborn and child health indicates that nutrition has indeed been incorporated in these investments.

Developing Countries: Children

Baroness Manzoor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of investing in early child development in the developing world.

Lord Bates: Evidence suggests that supporting children in their early years through health, education, nutrition and responsive care improves their learning potential and yields enormous long term benefits. By 2020 the UK will improve nutrition for 50million children under 5, women of childbearing age and adolescent girls, immunise 76million children against killer diseases and support 11million children in the poorest countries to gain a decent education.

Developing Countries: Children

Baroness Manzoor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to increase investment in improving nutrition and health outcomes for infants and young children, in the light of the Bilateral Development Review 2016.

Lord Bates: The Bilateral Development Review sets out how we will invest to deliver our manifesto commitments. These include improving the nutrition of 50million people by 2020 and saving the lives of 1.4million children, through immunising 76million and working towards ending preventable child and maternal deaths.

Sierra Leone: Overseas Aid

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support the UK will provide to Sierra Leone over the next five years to promote women and girls' sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial support they are planning to provide for family planning and sexual and reproductive health and rights in Sierra Leone over the next five years.

Lord Bates: DFID is working with the Government of Sierra Leone, NGOs and the UN to tackle the high levels of maternal mortality and teenage pregnancy in Sierra Leone. This is a top priority of our £150million Saving Lives Programme which, over the next five years, aims to save the lives of 2,000 women and provide family planning for more than 134,000 women and girls. Activities include upgrading obstetric facilities, training nurses and midwives, developing a teenage pregnancy reduction strategy and providing essential life-saving drugs. We are also setting up adolescent-friendly sexual and reproductive health services; and working with communities to increase the use of family planning services.

Greece: Refugees

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial support they have given during the last two years to (1) the government of Greece, and (2) non-governmental organisations working in Greece, to help tackle the refugee crisis.

Lord Bates: The UK has not given financial support directly to the Greek government. It has provided £15.4 million to non-governmental organisations working in Greece, to help tackle the refugee crisis. This has provided vital assistance such as food, clean water and safe shelter, as well as access to protection services and psychosocial care.

Department for Education

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are planning to re-establish Education Priority Areas in places where children suffer from very limited ability to speak English or other disadvantages.

Lord Nash: The Government is committed to ensuring that all pupils, regardless of ethnicity, background or location, are able to achieve their full potential in education. This includes those pupils who are classed as having English as an additional language (EAL). It is essential that all pupils are proficient in written and spoken English so that they can access the curriculum effectively and engage fully with school. To help schools develop the English language skills of their EAL pupils, rather than implementing a limited number of area-based programmes we have given all local authorities in England the ability to allocate funding to schools for their EAL pupils. In 2016-17, 136 local authorities used the EAL factor in their school funding formulae, spending £282 million in total. Furthermore, we have proposed that the national funding formula for schools, which will replace local funding formulae from 2018-19 onwards, will include an EAL factor. Schools may also use their pupil premium funding to support disadvantaged pupils with EAL. At the same time, we do recognise that in some areas of England schools face entrenched challenges in raising the educational performance of their pupils. That is why we are designating those areas of greatest need as opportunity areas, and are targeting the Department’s improvement programmes in these locations with the aim of improving social mobility. To date twelve areas have been identified as opportunity areas and will share £72 million to improve the quality of education and to provide young people with the advice and skills needed for good jobs.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Lord Northbourne: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is their policy to ensure, as far as possible, that all male school children are aware of the responsibilities of parenthood by the time they leave school.

Lord Nash: All pupils, irrespective of gender have the opportunity to learn about the responsibilities of parenthood in non-statutory Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education and schools have the flexibility to determine when, and how, to teach it. The department encourages schools to draw on the revised non-statutory programme of study produced by the PSHE Association that helps schools to plan their provision and includes the roles and responsibilities of parents and the value of family relationships, including the impact of separation, divorce and bereavement. Issues relating to parenting skills are included in the personal wellbeing of the programme of study at KS3.

Autism: Special Educational Needs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will adopt the recommendation of the National Autistic Society in their School Report 2016 on how the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) system is meeting the needs of children and young people on the autism spectrum in England to make the new system work more effectively by eliminating delays in accessing support.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will adopt the recommendation of the National Autistic Society in their School Report 2016 on how the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) system is meeting the needs of children and young people on the autism spectrum in England to make the new system work more effectively by ensuring families receive help to challenge the system when needed.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will adopt the recommendation of the National Autistic Society in their School Report 2016 on how the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) system is meeting the needs of children and young people on the autism spectrum in England so that central government, local government and academies and free schools work together to ensure that the right mix of educational provision and support for autistic children is available locally.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will adopt the recommendation of the National Autistic Society in their School Report 2016 on how the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) system is meeting the needs of children and young people on the autism spectrum in England to improve training and awareness of autism so that it is embedded across the education system.

Lord Nash: The SEND reforms in the Children and Families Act 2014 have brought benefits for children and young people with autism and their families, including the move to more person-centred, multi-agency and participative Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessments and plans, with the timescale for carrying out an assessment and issuing a plan reduced from 26 to 20 weeks. Separately, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) standard specifies that an assessment for a possible autism diagnosis should begin within three months of referral, and the Government plans to improve the tracking of referral-to-assessment times for an autism diagnosis. Schools should not wait for a diagnosis of autism before putting in place support, but should employ a graduated approach to identifying needs and providing support, reviewing support regularly to ensure it continues to meet the identified needs. All local authorities in England must have an Information, Advice and Support Service (IASS) to provide parents and young people with impartial advice about the law on SEND, local SEND arrangements and support for a child’s needs. The service can also help parents and young people prepare for meetings with schools, the local authority or other agencies, including where they are bringing a complaint or making an appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability). In addition, families that are going through the process of EHC needs assessment and plan development can call on support from an Independent Supporter, who can provide help and advice if parents or young people wish to challenge a decision of the local authority, whether through mediation or a Tribunal appeal. Local authorities have a statutory duty to identify needs in their local area and to commission, together with partner agencies, services to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families. This includes services for children and young people with autism. These services must be included in each authority’s Local Offer of available services, which must be reviewed regularly in consultation with local families, taking their views into consideration. In addition, under the Department’s Free Schools programme, there are now twenty-three special free schools open across the country, including thirteen specifically for children with Autism, such as the Rise free school in Hounslow, the Lighthouse free school in Leeds and the National Autistic Society’s Church Lawton free school in Cheshire. A further twenty-two special free schools are due to open in the future, twelve of which will specialise in provision for children with autism, including the Cumbria Academy for Autism and a second National Autistic Society free school, the Vanguard free school in Lambeth. The other schools will offer some places for children with autism. At the last spending review we announced that we will make available at least £200 million to support the expansion of existing provision as well as the development of new schools. The Department has provided more than £2m to the Autism Education Trust (2011-17) to deliver autism training to early years, school and post-16 education professionals in England. The Trust has now trained more than 120,000 education staff. The training also incorporates the learning from previous work by Ambitious about Autism on strategies for supporting transition from school to college and the contract covers a service provided by the National Autistic Society which provides information and advice to parents and professionals on exclusions. We have issued an invitation to tender (ITT) for a new autism contract from April 2017, which will continue the training for education professionals and the exclusions service. For teachers in training, a new framework for ITT content developed by the expert group chaired by Stephen Munday CBE was published in July 2016. The framework includes specific content on special educational needs and autism and is available for training providers to use. This twin approach of ongoing work in schools to increase awareness of autism through training, while also ensuring that new teachers are equipped to support pupils with autism from the outset, is designed to ensure that children and young people are better supported to achieve well in their education.

Education: Public Consultation

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultation exercises they undertook regarding the provision of education or children's services for which the closing date was between 1 January 2015 and 30 September 2016 and for which no response has been published; and, in each case, what was the closing date of the consultation, and what is the likely publication date of the response.

Lord Nash: There were seven consultation exercises within the specified date range for which no report has been published. It is important that we take time to consider feedback to each consultation, before responding in due course. Title of ConsultationDate  launchedDate  closedImplementing the English Baccalaureate03/11/201529/01/2016Out-of-school education settings: registration and inspection26/11/201511/01/2016Staffing and employment advice for schools17/12/201510/02/2016Children and young people’s mental health: peer support17/02/201624/03/2016Childcare workers: changes to disqualification arrangements06/05/201601/07/2016Guidelines on ventilation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality in schools, Building Bulletin 10130/06/201606/09/2016Fire safety design for schools BB100 revised04/07/201615/08/2016

Boarding Schools: Overseas Students

Lord Lansley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the economic benefit to the UK arising from the provision of educational services to under-18 international students at boarding schools in the UK.

Lord Nash: No government estimate has been made of such benefits, although we welcome the contribution made by the independent schools sector. However, in 2014 the Independent Schools Council (ISC) published a study of the economic impact of independent schools on the British economy, and Appendix II of that report dealt specifically with the economic impact of overseas pupils, estimating that overseas pupils at ISC schools led in 2012 to a contribution of £890m to the Gross Domestic Product, generating 22,700 jobs and £385m in tax payments. These data have not been verified by government.

Academies: Expenditure

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of academies spent more than their incomes between 2012–13 and 2014–15.

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of secondary academies spent more than their income in 2014–15.

Lord Nash: Because the number of academy trusts increased between 2012 and 2015, the number and proportion of trusts which are recorded as having spent more than their incomes between 2012-13 and 2014-15 are taken from a range of Statistical First Releases (SFRs). The SFRs are experimental statistics using data from the benchmarking section of the account returns for the academic years. In summary: Single Academy trusts2012/132013/142014/15Number of single academy trusts1,6252,1412,195Number of single academy trusts recorded as having spent more than their income per year6928951,164Proportion of single academy trusts recorded as having spent more than their income per year42.6%41.8%53.0%  Multi Academy trusts2012/132013/142014/15Number of multi academy trusts135496691Number of multi academy trusts recorded as having spent more than their income per year34193363Proportion of multi academy trusts recorded as having spent more than their income per year25.2%38.9%52.5%  In 2014-15 737 of 1,231 (59.9%) of secondary single academy trusts spent more than their incomes. In the same year, 487 of 906 (53.8%) of secondary academies within multi academy trusts spent more than their incomes. This answer relates to expenditure and income in year, rather than to whether academy trusts have an overall surplus or deficit. At the end of the year 2014/15 only 113 (4.0%) of academy trusts reported a cumulative deficit.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, on the most recent date for which figures are available, what offences were (1) males, and (2) females, in prisons in England and Wales, convicted of, broken down by the following age groups: (a) 15 to 17, (b) 18 to 20, (c) 21 to 24, (d) 25 to 29, (e) 30 to 39, (f) 40 to 49, (g) 50 to 59, (h) 60 to 69, and (i) 70 and over.

Lord Keen of Elie: The information requested is published on gov.uk and copied below.PQ HL 3278(a): Male Convicted Prison population by offence group; as at 30 September 2016 Males Total15-1718-2021-2425-2930-3940-4950-5960-6970 and overTotal 73,8595483,6789,33713,48821,69013,3187,5072,8641,42901 Violence against the person 18,3771317552,2823,5255,4763,5251,92658317402 Sexual offences 12,910313168481,4132,4652,5432,5891,6051,10003 Robbery 7,6411296221,3381,7012,4721,03830931104 Theft Offences 10,557615131,3552,0833,8962,00656965905 Criminal damage and arson 1,123137121218329242127371106 Drug offences 11,237507351,7592,2713,4621,8548851893207 Possession of weapons 2,3144221542250464133112528608 Public order offences 1,258979182249334206129531709 Miscellaneous crimes against society3,410181453855881,0286464101513910 Fraud Offences 1,28301276153372326233852611 Summary Non-Motoring 2,9076919445362593745514621712 Summary motoring 452227619316272286113 Offence not recorded 39052855651167431106PQ HL 3278(b): Female Convicted Prison population by offence group; as at 30 September 2016  Females Total15-1718-2021-2425-2930-3940-4950-5960-6970 and overTotal 3,41001003005351,251769345951501 Violence against the person 96003910815130819811733602 Sexual offences 1230011143833186303 Robbery 27801424511344861004 Theft Offences 70809411123171774111005 Criminal damage and arson 1020110123125184106 Drug offences 4700173886163107518007 Possession of weapons 6603159201261008 Public order offences 570458211142209 Miscellaneous crimes against society2150318348154214010 Fraud Offences 1890131148594420311 Summary Non-Motoring 1870724416036145012 Summary motoring 1501127310013 Offence not recorded 400124236400Data sources and quality   The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.  Notes (1) These prisoners have been recently sentenced and their sentence date has not yet been updated on the system

Ministry of Justice: Reviews

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many reviews have been announced in Parliament by the Ministry of Justice in the last six years; how many have been completed; how many are still ongoing; and what is the timescale for completion of those reviews still ongoing.

Lord Keen of Elie: There is no formal definition of “reviews”. All announcements by Ministers in my Department are placed in Parliamentary records. Accounts of progress are given within the normal course of Parliamentary business.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Internet

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the comparative access and speed of the internet between urban and rural areas; and what proposals they have to improve internet access and speeds in rural areas.

Lord Ashton of Hyde: The Government is committed to improving access to quality broadband services to as many people in the UK as possible. This is why £1.7 billion of public money is being invested to support improvements in superfast broadband services across the UK. Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) is committed to bringing superfast broadband access to 95 per cent of UK premises by the end of the year. By 2020, this should reach 97 per cent through a combination of public and commercial investment. To ensure that no one is left behind, the Government is also introducing a new broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) within this Parliament. The USO will give households and businesses the legal right to request a broadband connection with speeds of at least 10 Megabits, no matter where they live or work.

Department for Work and Pensions

Lone Parents

Lord Northbourne: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the increase in the number of children in the UK being brought up in a family with only one resident parent, and in particular of the number of boys being brought up in a family with no resident father; and what policy they have developed in this regard.

Lord Henley: The information requested is not collected. This government is committed to providing the best outcomes for children. The Department’s forthcoming Green Paper on Social Justice will outline how it plans to improve children’s outcomes.

Universal Credit: Housing

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether claimants of Universal Credit are always told when housing costs revert to them at the end of any set period for Alternative Payment arrangements, or when those arrangements are due for renewal.

Lord Henley: Alternative Payment Arrangements whereby an individual's housing costs are paid directly to their landlord are time-limited and delivered in conjunction with appropriate budgeting support to help claimants successfully make the transition to monthly budgeting. The Department's Work Coach maintains an ongoing conversation with the claimant about their financial capability, which includes reviewing the Alternative Payment Arrangement with the claimant when the review date matures.When reviewing the Alternative Payment Arrangement the Work Coach considers the outcomes from the budgeting support and advice the claimant has received in the interim and discusses whether the claimant now feels financially capable to manage their Universal Credit payment themselves. The claimant’s Universal Credit records will be noted accordingly with the outcomes of the review and any new review date that may be set in conjunction with the claimant. The claimant is therefore kept informed as to whether or not they have responsibility for their own housing costs.

Universal Credit: Housing

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether Alternative Payment arrangements to cover some of a Universal Credit claimant's housing costs, together with a local authority's discretionary housing payments for any shortfall, are working satisfactorily.

Lord Henley: The Department works closely with Local Authorities to ensure tenants are able to meet their housing costs. Where it is in a claimant’s best interests to have their housing costs paid direct to the landlord, for example because they have difficulty budgeting or have problems with arrears, an alternative payment arrangement can be put in place. This does not change the overall amount of the Universal Credit award, simply how it is paid. Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) can be made to people who are in receipt of either Housing Benefit or a Universal Credit award that includes an amount for housing costs and who have difficulty meeting their rent commitments. These payments are very flexible and are made at the discretion of the Local Authority (LA) where they consider that further financial assistance towards housing costs are required. Universal Credit claimants who meet the eligibility criteria are considered for a DHP award in the same way as anyone else. DWP does not see any reason why Discretionary Housing Payments cannot be paid to Universal Credit claimants who have Managed Payments to their Landlord in place. However, if a Local Authority decides not to accept an application for DHP on the grounds that a managed payment to the landlord is in place, guidance is clear that DWP can, in agreement with the claimant, remove that arrangement to allow the application to be made.

Universal Credit: Housing

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that there is adequate support for vulnerable Universal Credit claimants who do not have housing support staff.

Lord Henley: The Universal Credit service is designed to support the needs of those claimants whose often complex, sometimes multiple, barriers and conditions are preventing them from finding and staying in work, or risk them struggling to engage independently with Universal Credit and the opportunities it offers. For example, as part of the first Interview, the Work Coach and the claimant will discuss the claimant’s ability to manage their monthly payment and pay bills on time. Where appropriate, the Work Coach will refer the claimant for Personal Budgeting Support including money advice. Health, disability and other personal circumstances may also be discussed. The Work Coach will also determine if an Alternative Payment Arrangement is needed. Alternative Payment Arrangements can include managed payment of Universal Credit housing costs to their landlord, more frequent payments; and split payments within a household in exceptional cases. As we continue to deliver the full Universal Credit service, with its expanded claimant base, we are continually reviewing and developing the current vulnerable claimant customer journey, including how vulnerable people are identified and how they are supported both internally and via referral to local services delivered in partnership activity.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they will introduce to ensure that women who have multiple jobs, none of which are eligible for National Insurance credits, do not lose out on future state pension rights.

Lord Henley: The design of the new State Pension allows for considerable gaps, up to 15 years over a 50 year working life (based on an State Pension age of 66), without affecting a person’s ability to build up sufficient qualifying years to gain the full entitlement. Women in particular are likely to benefit from this arrangement. In addition those with multiple low-paid jobs are likely to already have some paid or credited contributions and there is little evidence that people are engaged in this type of work pattern for significant periods in their working life so many of those affected will have the opportunity to build up sufficient qualifying years in the future. There is also the option to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions for any week in which someone does not have paid or credited contributions. We have no plans to alter or extend these arrangements.

State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what reciprocal arrangements will be put in place to guarantee, after the UK leaves the EU, the annual increase of the basic state pension for UK citizens who have retired to countries in the European Union which do not currently have reciprocal arrangements with the UK.

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the annual increase of the basic state pension for UK citizens who have retired to Spain will continue after the UK leaves the EU.

Lord Henley: The reciprocal rights and entitlements that will apply following the UK’s exit are subject to the wider negotiation on our future relationship with the EU and the Government has not yet begun these negotiations.

Ministry of Defence

Patrol Craft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Earl Howe on 12 January (HL Deb, col 2159), concerning the fleet of up to six offshore patrol vessels which will support UK destroyers and frigates, which one of the current four offshore patrol vessels will be paid off.

Earl Howe: On current plans, the four in service Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) will decommission between now and 2019. These will be replaced by the single class of five Batch 2 OPVs currently committed to, with four already under construction, each of which is some 300 tonnes heavier than the current Class. This will provide a more modern, cost effective and capable fleet to meet the Royal Navy's patrol requirements and contribute to the commitment in last year's Strategic Defence and Security Review of up to six patrol vessels.

Armed Forces Covenant

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Armed forces covenant for communities, published on 12 January, what action they are taking to help local authorities to adapt their policies to remove disadvantages faced by members of the armed forces community.

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance they have given to local authorities regarding the training required to ensure that local authority staff properly implement the policies of the Armed forces covenant for communities.

Earl Howe: The conclusions and recommendations of the report “Our Community – Our Covenant” are available at the following address http://www.fim-trust.org/ reports/ and include practical guidance, a tool kit and a self-assessment section, which have been commended to Local Authorities across the UK. A cross-Government Action Plan is currently being drafted to promote and assess progress. This is being supported by Covenant Funding available to Local Authorities who wish to adopt new processes or initiatives in support of the Covenant. This includes building on existing good practice; in Warwickshire, for example, an IT training package on the Covenant and how it applies to that community is in the process of being launched.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Homelessness: Older People

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve the collection of data on the number of older people who are homeless but who are not included in official statutory homelessness statistics.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The Department has recently launched a project to overhaul the data it collects on homelessness. It is intended that the new system will collect data on all those who approach local authorities for housing assistance, whether statutorily homeless or not, and the data will be at the household rather than aggregate level. This will deliver a much greater understanding of the causes of homelessness and the effectiveness of responses.

Housing Benefit

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 21 December 2016 (HL Deb, col 1656), what is their assessment of the impact of housing benefit cuts on homelessness; and what steps they are taking to ensure that low income people, in and out of work, have sufficient income to pay their rent.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: There are many reasons for homelessness but there is no robust evidence which establishes any direct connection with welfare reform. Our welfare reforms are a central part of the Government's long-term economic plan to create jobs and make work pay.Alongside welfare reform, we are ensuring working families earn more in the first place - through the National Living Wage - and keep more of what they earn - by cutting their taxes at the same time. The Government is committed to protecting the vulnerable, and following the £560 million in Discretionary Housing Payment funding provided in the last Parliament, we are providing a further £870 million funding in this Parliament.We've also invested £500 million to tackle homelessness - including our £50 million Homelessness Prevention Programme - and we are supporting Bob Blackman's Homelessness Reduction Bill, to improve the support available for those facing a homelessness crisis and to ensure that people get help earlier to prevent a homelessness crisis in the first place.Our efforts to tackle homelessness are supported by our investment in housing supply. We have already seen nearly 900,000 new homes delivered in England since 2010. We aim to deliver an additional one million new homes by 2020, and we will set out our proposals in our Housing White Paper.

Mortgages

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact, if any, of the designation of a selective licensing area on the availability of mortgages for the purchase of houses in that area for (1) buy to let, and (2) owner occupation.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The Department does not collect information on mortgage providers’ lending criteria and their allocation of mortgages in areas designated under selective licensing.

HM Treasury

Public Sector Debt: Sudan

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government under what circumstances they would consider relieving the government of Sudan of its sovereign debt to the UK.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Before the Government can support debt relief, Sudan would need to meet the requirements of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. This includes a commitment to poverty reduction and a track record of reform and sound policies through an International Monetary Fund programme. The Government would also require Sudan to demonstrate commitment to and evidence of peace building, of upholding human rights and of respecting freedoms.

Sterling

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the devaluation of the pound sterling since June 2016 on the financial wellbeing of retired UK citizens living in (1) the EU and (2) the rest of the world.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government does not comment on currency movements. To support people in retirement, the Government has increased the basic State Pension to its highest proportion of average earnings for 25 years. The annual index-linked increase was paid to eligible UK State Pension recipients living within the European Economic Area, Gibraltar, Switzerland, and countries that have a social security agreement with the UK that allows for cost of living increases to the State Pension.

Child Tax Credit and Tax Allowances

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government for how long claimants are able to backdate a claim for (1) the married tax allowance, and (2) the disabled element of the child tax credit.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Marriage Allowance was introduced from April 2015. Eligible couples can backdate their claim for Marriage Allowance for up to four years, having until 5 April 2020 to backdate their claim for Marriage Allowance to the 2015-16 tax year. A change of circumstance in Child Tax Credit (CTC) that results in an increased award can usually be backdated up to a maximum of one month from the date the claimant notifies HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). A change of circumstances resulting in the award of the disability element of CTC can be backdated longer than one month if the claimant notifies HMRC within one month of being notified of the decision of the child’s entitlement to Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The disability element of Child Tax Credit can then be backdated as follows: to the first date from which DLA or PIP was payable; or if later, to the date falling one month before the claim for DLA or PIP was made; or if later, to the date the claim for CTC was made or treated as made.

*No heading*

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 9 January (HL4374), what negotiations took place between 1989 and 1993 about the former Soviet Union's international debt; upon what conditions Russia assumed that debt; and whether Russia welcomed that arrangement.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Negotiations took place in 1991 between the G7 and eight Soviet national republics, leading to a Memorandum of Understanding through which the eight republics agreed to take joint responsibility for Soviet debt. This was followed by an Inter-State Agreement on the Succession of External Debts & Assets of the USSR (December 1991) that divided Soviet overseas debts and assets between eight of the republics. When it became clear that only Russia was able to make debt repayments, Russia assumed the full debt in exchange for the other states’ shares of Soviet overseas assets. This was negotiated between Russia and nine successor states between 1992 and 1994. The Treasury does not hold information as to whether Russia welcomed the arrangement.

Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland

Baroness Suttie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the announcement of elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly, and given that the budget for the forthcoming financial year has yet to be agreed by the Assembly, what action they have taken, or discussions they have held, about ensuring that contingency plans are in place to ensure that there is no disruption to funding for the provision of public services in Northern Ireland.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Treasury officials regularly discuss matters of mutual interest with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive. The UK Government is focused on ensuring that, following the elections, a strong and stable devolved government is established.

Northern Ireland Office

Armed Forces: Northern Ireland

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the progress on ensuring natural justice for UK servicemen accused of alleged historic crimes in Iraq, whether similar measures are being taken in respect of Northern Ireland; how many investigations are underway involving UK servicemen for alleged incidents in Northern Ireland during the Troubles; and how many investigations the Police Service of Northern Ireland are conducting into alleged atrocities by the IRA and splinter groups during the same period.

Lord Dunlop: The Northern Ireland Office does not hold this information.Operational matters relating to criminal investigations in Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.The Government is committed to the implementation of the bodies set out in the 2014 Stormont House Agreement which will be under legal obligations to examine legacy issues in Northern Ireland in ways that are fair, balanced and proportionate.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Flood Control

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what works they are planning to improve flood defences up to 2020.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Government has a six year programme to improve flood defences between 2015 and 2021. We are investing £2.5 billion in 1,500 flood defence improvement schemes which will better protect over 300,000 more homes. Details of each of the schemes, including scheduled start and completion dates are published on the GOV.UK website in the document ‘Flood and coastal erosion risk management investment programme 2015 to 2021’. This is a developing pipeline of projects which is updated periodically.

Department of Health

NHS: Expenditure

Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of gross domestic product the UK has spent on healthcare since 2010; and what are the comparable figures for Germany and France.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: The following table shows the United Kingdom combined public and private expenditure on healthcare as a percentage of gross domestic product from 2010 to 2014. YearUK20108.5%20118.4%20128.5%20139.9%20149.9%Source: Data extracted from Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) – January 2017 Prior to 2013, UK expenditure on healthcare was not directly comparable with other OECD countries due to differing interpretations of what was classified as health expenditure. Following an update to the international accounting manual (the System of Health Accounts 2011) all OECD countries were asked to use the revised methodology to measure spend on healthcare. Since 2013 UK figures are now consistent with other OECD countries. The following table shows comparable combined public and private expenditure on healthcare as a percentage of gross domestic product between the UK, Germany and France. YearUKGermanyFrance20139.9%10.9%10.9%20149.9%11.0%11.1%Source: Data extracted from Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) – January 2017

Health Services

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will address the sexual and reproductive health and rights challenges that exist within the UK within the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals voluntary national review; and if so, how.

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what sexual and reproductive health and rights Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators they will report on in the 2030 SDG voluntary national review.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: The Government is considering when to volunteer for its first national review of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the indicators this will cover. The Department already monitors and publishes outcome data on sexual and reproductive health. There are three sexual health indicators in the Public Health Outcomes Framework on reducing under-18 conceptions, the chlamydia detection rate and reducing late diagnoses of HIV. Public Health England has produced a tool known as the Sexual and Reproductive Health Profiles, which is only available online, to monitor the sexual and reproductive health of the population at national, regional and local levels.

Hospital Beds

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have on the number of people occupying hospital beds who are deemed well and able to leave but who are refusing to leave, or stalling leaving, hospital.

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will bring in new powers to permit hospitals to evict immediately any patients who in the opinion of doctors are well enough to be discharged but who refuse to leave.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: NHS England publishes monthly data on the number of patients ready to depart from acute or non-acute care on the last Thursday of each month and who were still occupying a hospital bed, including the reasons for these delays. The most recently published data shows that there were 750 patients on the last Thursday of November with a delayed transfer of care due to patient or family choice. The guidance further defines these as patients whose assessment is complete and who have been made a reasonable offer of services, but who have refused that offer. The Department is not planning to introduce new powers in this area.